This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 arising from an application for xe2x80x9cAppearing And Disappearing Type Writing Implement With Tip Protecting Memberxe2x80x9d earlier filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on Sep. 29, 2000 and there duly assigned Serial No. 2000-57359.
The present invention relates to writing implements, in particular to retractable tip writing implements, and more particularly to a retractable tip writing implement with a tip protecting member.
Generally, the tip of a writing stem arranged in the body of a retractable tip writing implement, such as a pen using aqueous ink, is always exposed to the atmosphere through an opening formed in the front part of the body of the writing implement. Consequently, the tip of the writing stem is exposed to the atmosphere for a long time in the course of the distribution of the writing implement, and thus the ink at the end of the tip dries up. As a result, it may be impossible for a user to write with the retractable tip writing implement because of the resulting poor transcription.
In one existing writing implement, the end of the tip of the writing stem has been coated with a tip protecting member by dipping of the end of the tip of the writing stem in the molten liquid of a wax containing a hardening agent in order to prevent drying of ink at the end of the tip.
However, when the end of the tip dipped in the molten liquid of the wax containing a hardening agent, the tip is heated by the molten liquid until the tip is taken out from the molten liquid. The ink in the interior of the tip may be deteriorated by the heat applied to the tip. And since the inner diameter of the tip is enlarged by the heat, in the case of a ball-point pen, a ball bearing mounted in the end of the tip may be separated from the tip. Furthermore, since the tip protecting member coated on the end of the tip adheres to the end of the tip with relatively great strength so as to seal the end of the tip, the ball bearing may be removed along with the tip protecting member when the tip protecting member is separated from the end of the tip.
Another tip protecting member is disclosed in Korean Utility Model Registration No. 172486, which is owned by the applicant of the present application, which is a tip protecting disc made of synthetic rubber and arranged in the interior of the front part of the body of the retractable tip writing implement in the form of a pad.
With such a tip protecting member, the tip of the writing stem penetrates into the flexible tip protecting member when the writing stem is inserted into the body of the retractable tip writing implement to seal the end of the tip, whereby the drying of ink and damage to the tip are prevented.
Since the tip protecting member is made in the form of a disc, however, it is difficult to mount the tip protecting member horizontally in the front part of the body of the retractable tip writing implement. Moreover, when the user removes the tip protecting member to use the retractable tip writing implement for the first time, it is essentially required that the front part be separated from the body of the writing implement for the user to remove the tip protecting member mounted in the front part of the body of the writing implement. Commonly, when the front part is separated from the body of the retractable tip writing implement, a spring arranged in the front part for biasing the writing stem may spring out unexpectedly, and as a result the spring may be lost.
It is an object to provide an improved tip protecting member able to protect a tip of a writing stem in a writing implement.
It is another object to provide a tip protecting member disposed within an inside of writing implement and extended from the inside to an outside of the writing implement.
It is also an object to provide a tip protecting member to be easily pulled out from an inside of a writing implement toward an outside of the writing implement.
Those and other objects may be achieved by providing an appearing and disappearing type writing implement equipped with tip protecting member removably mounted in an appearing and disappearing opening formed in a hollow tube body of the appearing and disappearing type writing implement for preventing dry of ink and for protecting the end of a tip of a writing stem disposed in the hollow tube body, the tip protecting member being made of a material with excellent chemical resistance and flexibility being removed from the hollow tube body without disassembly of a front part of the hollow tube body of the appearing and disappearing type writing implement.